Operations without restriction

Interview with Henrik Oevermann , CEO DIOSNA Dierks & Söhne GmbH, Osnabrück, Germany, about the consequences of the current crisis.

+bbi: What are the consequences of the current crisis on DIOSNA Dierks & Söhne GmbH in the short and medium term?

+ Oevermann: Since there are new announcements and measures almost every hour to keep the infection curve as flat as possible, meaningful forecasts are currently almost impossible. Like every manufacturing company in Germany, we also see the uncertainty of our customers and our employees. Fortunately, we can rely on Diosna’s “Made in Germany” for 135 years. This enables us to continue our day-to-day production operations almost without restriction. With our high-quality mixing machines and systems, for bakery products, we serve a market for one of the most important staple foods. In this crisis, we are seeing a significant increase in industrially manufactured and packaged products. Our task is to make sure that we do everything we can to meet this need. Whether we can do this in the short and medium term depends on many factors.

+ bbi: Which measures are DIOSNA taking internally and in relation with customers?

+ Oevermann: Our goal is of course to do everything to protect our employees and customers. Our production facilities are so spacious that the work areas are separated from one another. Great importance has always been attached to the topic of hygiene, however, all employees were also informed and quiet a lot are able to work from home, if the situation demands it. Internally and with our customers and partners we meet online, if possible. So far, everyone has responded to the changed behavioural measures with understanding, especially since we can be reached by phone, by customers, both at home and abroad.

+ bbi: What about the ability to deliver, is production at risk?

+ Oevermann: Our customers can rely on us one hundred percent, because our in-house workshops are well organized. Orders that have already been confirmed will of course be processed and delivered. If there are any delays due to illness or from our sub-suppliers, we will inform our customers in good time. Reliable processes have been developed to keep the information up to date. Provided that the production chains work, we can continue to deliver on time. Restrictions naturally result from restricted freedom of travel. This primarily affects our experts, who work closely with the customers, these are our salesmen, technical fitters, technologists, programmers and commissioning engineers. The DIOSNA Group has a large network consisting of its own competent sales and service employees, as well as reliable partners. Depending on availability, the relevant specialist personnel or partners on site will act quickly. We can therefore cover a very large market and continue to offer a well-structured customer service.

+ bbi: What measures are you taking to compensate for the trade fair cancellations? Are there any options for interested customers to get an idea of the company's performance?

+ Oevermann: As the market leader, we always strive to offer our customers something special. We are currently testing how we can use social media and tools such as 3D scans to interact with our customers. Since it is not possible for every customer to get detailed information from us in Osnabrück, we use digitalization as an opportunity to develop new ways to keep our customers up to date. You can be amazed to see what new ideas we come up with.

+ bbi: What do you generally advise your customers in this uncertain situation?

+ Oevermann: The eagerness of the Germans to organize and regulate was laughed at in many other countries, but situations like this one desperately require these skills. My advice is therefore to keep calm, regionally, e.g. shop at the local bakery and grocer and actively contribute to slow down the increasing of the number of infections as much as possible in order to keep the respective health system functioning.

+ bbi: Thank you for the Interview +++

++ From the smallest handcraft mixers to industrial fully automated large-scale plants –DIOSNA offers solutions for various ways of preparing dough

++ Palsgaard takes over Turkish distribution partner

Palsgaard, supplier of emulsifiers from Denmark, has taken over the Turkish food supplier Teknaroma. Palsgaard acquired 90 % of the company shares, 10 % remain with the previous owners. Teknaroma has been selling Palsgaard products on the Turkish market since 1997. +++

++ Consumers in Sweden name Lantmännen one of the most sustainable brands

The Sustainable Brand Index (SBI) – the most comprehensive independent brand survey in Europe focused on sustainability – has now released the results of its B2C/businessto-consumer survey for 2020. Lantmännen continues to rank high, in second place among food brands and sixth overall. What’s more, Lantmännen also ranked number one brand on the Swedish market in the B2B/businessto-business survey for 2019, which was published earlier this year. The SBI survey has been performed annually since 2011. For the 2020 survey, 58,000 respondents were interviewed in Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, The Netherlands, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. +++

++ Bakery China 2020 postponement

In view of the global spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus) and after close communication with exhibitors and partners, the trade fair company will postpone Bakery China 2020 (originally scheduled on May 6-9, 2020 at Shanghai New International Expo Centre) to July 21-24, 2020 at National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai). +++

++ Reactions to the Corona crises in the UK

A number of bakery chains in the UK have closed numerous locations for the time being in response to the increasing number of corona-infected people and the increasingly strict codes of conduct for consumers and suppliers of goods. Market leader Greggs, for example, closed all 2050 stores. The Sayers bakery in Bolten, which operates almost 150 stores under the name Poundbakery, has also closed down. Birds Bakery from Derby has also closed its 65 stores. Others such as Cooplands from Scarborough (around 150 stores) or Warrens Bakery, one of the most traditional bakeries in Cornwall, have withdrawn from the delivery service. +++

++ Patisserie Valerie becomes part of Bakers+Baristas

The British confectionery chain Patisserie Valerie, with almost 100 branches, was one of the fixed addresses in the London food service sector. When the parent company had to file for insolvency last year, Patisserie Valerie went to the Causeway financial group. This group reduced the number of locations to 75 and has now merged with its existing chain Bakers+Baristas. Together they manage more than 125 locations in the UK and Ireland. The new director of the joint venture, which will operate under the Bakers & Barista flag, is James Fleming, who was previously head of Euphorium Bakery and UK head of the French chain Paul. +++